


Just Three Doors Down

by LadyKnightOfHollyrose



Category: Free!
Genre: Adults, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Flower Shop, Alternate Universe - Tattoo Parlor, M/M, SouMako Week, Swearing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-10-28
Updated: 2014-10-28
Packaged: 2018-02-23 01:07:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,407
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2528384
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyKnightOfHollyrose/pseuds/LadyKnightOfHollyrose
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sousuke was hit by his best worst idea ever. Or, well, it had been a notion he’d considered before but never had the chance to act upon. He proceeded to drag Rin back in the direction of their shop until he’d passed it entirely, continuing on for three more doors before pulling Rin through the door of the next shop along.</p><p>Where his short-lived dream was completely crushed. But maybe he can get Hot Guy's number?</p><p>A twist on the Florist/Tattooist AU floating around tumblr.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Just Three Doors Down

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the prompt "" for the Dialogue Meme on tumblr, and inspired by [this post](http://killer--ink.tumblr.com/post/98500585558/i-passed-a-flower-shop-next-to-a-tattoo-shop-and)!!

"I can’t believe I let myself get roped into this bullshit."

Sousuke scowled even as he got to work with de-thorning the new batch of roses that had been delivered that morning. His scowl only deepened when he looked over and saw the smirk Rin wore as he started to assemble one of the arrangements that had been ordered for delivery that day.

"It’s  _your_ family business, shouldn’t  _I_ be the one complaining?”

Sousuke barely refrained from throwing one of the more misshapen buds at his best friend and colleague’s grinning face. “You’re out here on the shop floor out of choice because my mother hired you,” he grumbled sourly. “I was only ever meant to be doing the accounting.”

Rin only rolled his eyes. He practically knew Sousuke’s little daily rant by heart with the number of times he’d had the pleasure of hearing it. Better to nip it in the bud before he got on a roll, though.

"It’s only while your mother recovers, then you can go back to hiding in the office like before. And honestly, I can’t believe that you’d just leave her to cart around all of this stuff when you know how heavy it all is now."

"It’s always  _been_ me hauling this shit around since high school.” Sousuke sniffed, offended. “Besides. She’s obviously doing fine if she can be taking a holiday.”

"For  _relaxation_  at an  _onsen.”_

"Fuck you, you’re supposed to be on  _my_  side.”

"Hey,  _you’re_  not the one in charge of my wages!”

"Not now, but if this keeps up it won’t be long until I  _am,_ " Sousuke muttered. "Just you wait."

And then he kicked Rin’s shin as he walked by, just to spite him, allowing himself a smug smirk of his own at the outraged squeal Rin let out.

It felt good to give Rin a little taste of his own medicine considering the more or less permanent bruise on his own shin courtesy of high school Rin.

—

Sousuke trudged out of the small, cramped office at the back of the store having disappeared into it when the phone had rang, his jaw set and his brows furrowed.

It wasn’t  _much_  different from his default expression, but Rin took one look at his face and knew something was up. He finished putting together a bouquet for the fidgeting teen at the counter, took payment, and saw the brat out.

Then he turned his attention to Sousuke.

"It’s 4:30 and we don’t have any more orders to be collected today. We could probably close up early and go for a drink."

Sousuke’s nose scrunched at the idea, some part of him fundamentally against the idea of closing early for any reason other than an emergency.

Then he thought back to the call he’d just received and decided to make an exception just this once.

He gave a small nod, and Rin flipped the sign on their door to show ‘closed’ before turning to stare expectantly at Sousuke.

"They’re staying up there for three months.  _Three months_.”

"…I thought you’d resigned yourself to your fate here this morning…" Rin said slowly, thinking back to their earlier conversation as they busied themselves with tidying the store in their normal routine. When Sousuke merely grunted at him, he sighed and turned soulful eyes at his friend. "What, you sick of my company all ready?"

It got him an elbow in his gut, but Sousuke’s lip ticked up at one side in amusement. “Stop fishing for complements. First round had better be on you, by the way.”

Rin  _did_  get their first round. And the second. Neither were not sure how many they’d had by the time they were taking their leave from the bar they’d chosen, but it wasn’t even that late yet.

Sousuke was then hit by his best worst idea ever. Or, well, it had been a notion he’d considered before but never had the chance to act upon. He proceeded to drag Rin back in the direction of their shop until he’d passed it entirely, continuing on for three more doors before pulling Rin through the door of the next shop along.

Where his short-lived dream was completely crushed.

"You’re turning away a paying customer?"

The guy behind the counter had the nerve to continue looking  _bored_ , glancing up briefly from whatever he was doodling on his notepad to give Sousuke a once-over before sniffing and looking down again.

"Do you even know what tattoo you want?" His disinterest was grating anyway, but what was even more annoying was that he kept his eyes firmly on his drawing. That was just plain  _rude_ , jeez.

"You’ll have like, a portfolio or something right?"

The guy just sighed again, long-suffering, and looked like he was questioning the reason behind Sousuke’s existence and what he had possibly done to deserve being afflicted with his presence.

Glancing back over his shoulder he saw that Rin would be no help at all; he was too busy marvelling at all of the shiny body jewellery. 

"Look, I have-"

"Haru?"

Hearing the voice calling out from the back seemed to bring some life to the man’s eyes; he fixed Sousuke with a suspicious, squinty look before he slid from his stool and let someone out of the back and took payment while Sousuke moved back to give them space while he continued to sulk.

Just as the customer was leaving (who kept on making abortive gestures to touch her ears) the back door opened again

_Holy shit._

Sousuke had always scoffed at Rin before when he’d had the thought, but now he could completely sympathise. Because seriously the only thing in his mind now was: ‘Oh no, he’s hot’.

"Oh," he said, eyes widening. "I didn’t realise we still had customers." 

His hair was brown and kind of fluffy, fringe falling into soft green eyes that were warm and soft. He had two piercings in each ear, a small tunnel plug and a spike in his lobes. Sousuke cut himself off before he could let himself wonder what else might be pierced. He had a pair of black rimmed glasses perched on his nose, cheek bones and a jawline that could probably inspire poetry and the way his chest seemed to press against his shirt made Sousuke’s throat dry.

Hot Guy glanced at ‘Haru’ briefly, and apparently managed to have a full conversation with him using just his eyebrows (and possibly telepathy), before he turned his attention back to Sousuke (and Rin).

"You wanted to get a tattoo?" Hot Guy tilted his head to a side, and it was absolutely adorable. "If you wanted to get something complex, we probably don’t have enough time before closing to do it today with having to check your ID and filling out the paperwork but if you’ve got a design we can take a look and give you a quote? If you’re happy with it we can book you in." 

Sousuke blinks. “Paperwork?”

"Consent forms," Haru said from the counter with particular relish.

Hot Guy’s smile turns sheepish. “They confirm that you’re not under the influence of alcohol or drugs when consenting to having the tattoo.”

Oh. He was sure he knew about that all ready but he guessed that it was the  _influence of alcohol_  that was addling his brain.  _Dammit_.

Haru looked  _far_  too smug behind the counter.

It was probably a good thing that Rin finally decided to lope over then, effectively distracting Sousuke from acting on the half-baked ideas he’d been entertaining about wiping the smirk of Haru’s face when he started asking Hot Guy about piercings and pricing.

By the time they left, he hadn’t  _quite_  managed to leave with Hot Guy’s number, but he did have a business card and an appointment scheduled for the following week.

Sousuke flipped the card in his hand as he and Rin made their way back past the few doors between the Studio and their shop, studying it:

> _Eternal Pine Tattoo and Piercing Studio_
> 
> _Tattoo Artist: Nanase Haruka_
> 
> _Body Piercer: Tachibana Makoto_

It occurred to him that as much as he wanted a tattoo - as long as he’d been wanting one - he  _didn’t_  particularly want Nanase Haruka anywhere near him with a needle.

(It also occurred to him that if it meant he’d get to see more of Hot G- Tachibana Makoto? He’d consider getting a full  _sleeve_.

He was  _so_ fucked.)

**Author's Note:**

> So this isn’t actually the AU I had planned for SouMako week but that kind of turned into a monster and will have to wait for another time ^^’ (AND I HAVE ENDED UP BEING A FULL DAY LATE ANYWAY OTL) Having said that, I’ve had the idea of Florist!Rin and Sousuke with Tattooist!Haru and Piercer!Makoto since that one Florist/Tattooist AU post has been going around… So I used SouMako week as an excuse to write it!
> 
> Name of the studio is from the translation of Kyushouzan mountain (in Tottori) because I was kind of grasping at straws ^^’
> 
> Even though the end is kind of fumbly and bleh, I had a lot of fun writing it and will definitely be writing more at some point :D


End file.
